With a hiatus from ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder” just over the horizon, reports have surfaced that Viola Davis is being eyed to executive produce and star in an HBO telepic about the life of Harriet Tubman.
The film is still in its very early stages of development but has already garnered a lot of attention.
If it does get the green light, reports have surfaced that filmmakers have already decided they want Davis as the leading woman, according to Variety.
She’s also been connected to the film’s development along with Amblin TV and writer Kirk Ellis.
The movie will be based on the book Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, which was written by Kate Clifford Larson.
It’s a film that will likely garner a lot of support considering the growing desire for positive portrayals of Black people in the media.
Davis is slated to be one of the film’s executive producers in addition to her husband Julius Tennon, Amblin’s Justin Falvey and others.
The movie hasn’t been approved for production just yet but with Davis’ hiatus from “How to Get Away With Murder” being a year away, filmmakers are reportedly eying that spot to kickstart filming.
If it is approved, it will mark the second historical role Davis has been linked to.
She has also been actively developing a feature film based on the life of Barbara Jordon, an iconic Civil Rights leader and ground-breaking congresswoman.
HBO has also already confirmed a May 16 premiere date for Bessie, which will chronicle the life of blues legend Bessie Smith with Queen Latifah as its star.
While both the idea of a Harriet Tubman telepic and the film chronicling the life of Bessie are exciting new additions to media creating more positive portrayals of Black people in media, they are also more additions to an already extensive list of historical pieces.
It seems to beg the question of when Black people will more frequently be integrated in positive storytelling in mainstream media as opposed to just being hailed for their contributions throughout recent American history.
So while the media has welcomed films about iconic movements and incredible historical figures from a few decades ago, it has failed to successfully bring the stories of Black people into modern stories while also conveniently turning a blind eye to ancient Black civilizations.
